Attack
by I'm-So-Tape
Summary: Brittany has an asthma attack. Brittany/Rachel


A/N: Brittany has an identical twin, but still older, sister Alex. The moment was inspired by the moment in Signs where the dad helps his son through an attack.  
A/N 2: Can also be found at Glee Slash (.com/gleeslash/) and my livejournal (.)

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This is a Brittany no one knows. Cause the Brittany that they all knew was slower than others, confident, athletic, a great dancer, and always got what she wanted. But this Brittany, the Brittany that is drawn up against the chest of her sister, with her back against her and her hands grasping at the jeans covering the older girl's legs, was not a sight that suited the Brittany they knew. She looked vulnerable, weak, defeated, and she looked like a little kid. She was gasping for air that wouldn't fill her lungs, as her sister held a hand to the blonde cheerleader's chest, trying to get the girl to calm down enough to match her breathing.

No one had known Brittany had asthma and required an inhaler with her at all times. No one had known because she had not shown any signs of needing extra help to get air into her lungs. It didn't help any that she hadn't told anyone, not a soul, not even Rachel, her girlfriend, or her best friends Santana, and Quinn. So when she suddenly collapsed during Glee practice, while drinking in several deep breaths of air, no one knew what to do. They were fortunately lucky enough to have her sister in the room with them, who found that Brittany had left her inhaler at home.

She quickly gathered Brittany into her arms, with her hand over her chest that was keeping the squirming Brittany against her own chest. The blonde's hands gripped at the denim covering the girls legs in an attempt to push the pain from her chest, but to no success. Mr. Schue called 911 as soon as "Brittany's having an asthma attack" left Alex's lips.

"I know it hurts Britt, but you gotta stay calm." She whispered into her younger sister's ear before looking to the crowd forming around them.

"Rachel I need you to keep everyone calm, Brittany can feel everyone panicking and it's causing her to panic and breathe a lot faster than she should be." The aspiring Broadway Star gave one quick nod and started backing the group up with a quit but affective "everyone stay calm for Brittany's sake."

"Ambulance has been sent." Mr. Schue's words feel on deaf ears to Alex as she kept Brittany close to her chest.

"Feel me breathing, match my breaths." Brittany's eyes were clamped shut, and her mouth was opened slightly as gasps of air flew in and out of her mouth. Her grip tightened on the brunette's pants as the attack slammed into her lungs like a brick wall.

"It's gonna be ok Britt, it'll pass, you just gotta be strong. Match my breathing." The arm around the Cheerio's waist tightened as she stretched back into the rocker's chest.

"Gotta be strong, just gotta be strong." She continued to whisper in her ear. Her face began to visibly pale as her rapid breathing continued to quicken.

"Cough Brittany." Rachel heard the girl whisper in her girlfriend's ear, and not a moment later the blonde began to cough, effectively making the rapid breathing decrease.

"Good, now just breathe with me." Alex took a deep breath in bringing Brittany's chest up with hers. White began to show on the cheerleader's knuckles from the sheer grip she had on the jeans on either side of her.

"In through your nose, out through your mouth." She inhaled through her nose with Brittany, and made a slow exhale through her mouth.

"Again." The death grip on Alex's jeans began to lessen as air slowly began to fill Brittany's lungs.

"Good." The door opened with a bang as two EMT's with big bags came in and dropped to their knees beside the sister's.

"She's beginning to breathe on her own." Alex told the male EMT next to her.

"We'll take her to the hospital just as a precaution, would you like to ride in the truck with her?" Alex looked over at Rachel, who had silent tears running down her tanned cheeks, and her arms crossed across her chest.

"Can we bring one more person?" The female EMT looked in the direction Alex was hinting at and saw the distressed teenager and gave a sad smile before nodding.

"Sure."

/ / /

The ride to the hospital was spent in near silence with Brittany unconscious and a tube stuck down her throat to help ease the tight muscles, and allow air to flow easily within them. Nothing was said from the EMT's as they kept a watchful eye on their patient, while Rachel kept her hands covering Brittany's, and Alex running a hand up and down her sister's girlfriend's back.

"She's gonna be ok now." Alex reassured her, but it didn't stop the tears of the almost loss of her love.

/ / /

Alex and Brittany's mom meet them at the hospital, and when they were told one visitor at a time, neither of them took a second thought to push Rachel in first. She took cauious steps up to the blonde's bed, where blue eyes began to slowly flutter open. A small smile crossed her face when she found the short brunette right next to her.

"Hey…" Her voice was still slightly raspy from the removal of the breathing tube, and the enormous amount of coughing and wheezing made just an hour earlier.

"Hey." Rachel said with a smile through the tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"Why are you crying? Is everything ok?" The blonde sat up in a slight state of panic upon seeing her girlfriend's cheeks soaked with tears. Rachel shouldn't have found it funny, but some part of her did, and she couldn't help but let a little laugh escape.

"Only you would forget about the hospital you're in, and worry about someone else." Brittany's forehead scrunched up in confusion upon hearing Rachel's statement.

"Hospital? Why am I in the hospital? Is this why you're crying? Rachel I'm ok, see." She gave her chest a light pound to prove her point, earning a smile from the girl next to her.

"Britt you scared me to death. I thought you were going to die. Why didn't you tell me you had asthma?" Her blue eyes went blank upon hearing the word asthma.

"Is that why I'm in here?" Rachel could only nod at her.

"I had an attack?" Another nod caused her to lean back in her bed and stare at the spotted ceiling above her.

"I haven't had an attack since I was 10, when I went dirt biking and breathed to much dirt in." Her eyes left the ceiling and returned to Rachel, who stared back at her with shinning eyes.

"Britt why didn't you tell me?" The blonde gave a shrug and played with the fingers interlaced with her own.

"I really don't like talking about it. If Coach ever found out I had it she probably wouldn't have let me join the team. And I thought if I told you, you might act weird around me, and try to keep me safe like my mom does. I guess I didn't want to be looked at like I'm fragile or something." Rachel sat down on the small spot that wasn't taken up by Brittany, and took the hand she was holding into both of hers, and brought it up to her lips to place a soft kiss on the knuckles.

"I would never do that. Brittany I love each and every aspect of you, and having asthma wouldn't have hindered my love for you in any way, shape or form." She smiled down at the blonde, who smiled up at her before leaning up to replace her lips where her hand once was. And while she shouldn't have let the kiss last as long as it did, she didn't care, cause if being able to kiss Rachel until she was breathless, means it gives her an attack, she'll gladly take an attack just for a taste of the Berry, but she has a feeling that this is a good kind of breathless.


End file.
